Abla lives in Casablanca with her eight-year-old daughter, Warda, and runs a modest bakery from her home. One day, a knock on the door brings to her Samia, a pregnant young woman looking for a job an  a place to stay. Initially reluctant to allow a stranger into her home, Abla has a change of heart and takes her in. While it remains unknown how Samia became pregnant, her shame was overwhelming enough for her to escape her family’s country home before they could find out. Having arrived in the city, Samia plans to deliver her baby in secret and give it up for adoption. After Abla takes her in, the gradual growth of Samia’s pregnant belly mirrors the progressing evolution of both women.

The film tackles taboo subjects in the Arab world through a poignant portrait of two women, which touches the heart in large measure due to the superb performances of Lubna Azabal and Nisrin Erradi under the direction of a first-time filmmaker Maryam Touzani.

NR 12!